Pencil-sharpener



(No Model.) I,

S. S. WOODOOOK.

PENGIDSHARPENER. No. 323,769. Patented Aug. 4, 1885.

NiTED STATES ATENT OFFICE.

SHEPHERD S. \VOODOOOK, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

PENClL-SHARPENER' SPECIPICATTON forming part of Letters Patent No. 323,769, dated August 4, 1885.

Application tiled March 7, 1885. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SHEPHERD S. Wool)- COCK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, (Somerville, )in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Pencil-Sharpeners, of which the following is a full, clear,and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a pencilsharpener constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan of aportion ofthe same. Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the same taken in a plane passing longitudinally through the pencil-holder. Fig. iis a horizontal section on the line at x of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a vertical section on the line 1 y, of Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a detail in elevation.

My invention has for its object to provide a reliable pencil-sharpener which will perform its work with rapidity and leave the pencil with a perfect point which is not liable to be broken during the operation of sharpening; and my invention consists in certain combinations of parts and details of construction, as hereinafter set forth and specifically,

claimed.

In the said drawings, A represents the base or stand of the machine, from which rise two standards, aa, in bearings in which runs the main shaft Zr, carrying. at one end the grinding-wheel B, and at the opposite end a'pinion, c, which engages with and is driven by a handwheel,O, having teeth on its inner periphery, the wheel Ohaving a handled, by which it can be rotated, and being mounted on the end of a fixed shaft or stud, 6, supported in the standards a. The periphery of the wheel Bis preferably covered with fine sandpaper, but it may be coated with sand, emery, or other suitable abrading or cutting substance.

'D is a standard rising from the base A,to which is pivoted at f an arm, projecting down from the under side of a base-plate, h, to which is pivoted at one corner, by means of a screw, t, a horizontally-swinging carrierplate, is, in bearings N, on which rotates the pencil-holder G, to the front end of which is secured a small gear or pinion,m, which meshes with an intermediate gear, H, which in turn meshes witha gear, I, secured to the shaft 12,

close to the grinding-wheel B, and thus as the latter is revolved by turning the wheel 0 the pencihholder and the pencil 8 carried thereby are rapidly rotated, the arrangement and relative sizes of the three gears, I H m being such that the grinding-wheel and point of the pencil in contact therewith will revolve in the same direction at different surface velocities, which'insures a rapid grinding away of the end of the pencil and the formation of a perfect conical point, as desired. The end of the pencil-holder G, opposite to that which carries the gear m, is split, as seen in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, to adapt it for tightly grasping pencils of various diameters or of different forms in cross-section when pushed through it to bring their points into contact with the grinding-surface of the wheel B. The pencil 8 is supported near the extreme end of its point, and kept firmly against the grinding surface by a wire spring-arm, p,having a bent end,10. This spring pis-secured to the bearings Z Z of the carrier-plate k, and is provided with a shoulder, 12, Figs. 1 and 2, which bears against the front or outer face of the gear m, and thus serves to prevent any sliding of the pencil-holder within its bearings in the direction of itslength, whereby it is at all times maintained in its proper position.

'The pivoted arm 9 0f the base-plate h is made adjustable on the standard D around the pivot f as a center by means of a slot, q, and screw 1', which enables the point of the pencil to be moved toward or away'from the grinding-wheel B, in order that it may be adjusted to a perfect working position, and as the pivotal point f of the arm 9 is in line with the axis of the stud or sleeve 8, Fig. 3, on which the gear H revolves, it will be seen that any adjustment of this arm 9 in a vertical plane will not affect the proper engagement of the gears in and H. The interior diameter of the sleeve 8 on which the wheel H revolves is greater than that of the screw which confines it to the standard D, and holds the wheel thereon, by which construction the position of the sleeve 8 can be varied slightly to facilitate the proper adjustment of the gear H with respect to the gear I with which it engages. The pencilholder G is inclined at a slight angle to the axis of rotation of the wheel B, and the horizontally-swinging pencil-holder carrier-plate k is forced inward by a bent spring, a, Figs. 3 and 4, which causes the point of the pencil to be properly held with a yielding pressure against the abrading surface of the wheel 13 in such manner as to insure perfect work.

The horizontal swinging movement of the plate It is limited in either direction by a projection or stop, a, rising from the front end of the base-plate h, which fits between two projections, b c, at the front end of the plate 70, which thus prevent the pencil-holder from being moved too far in either direction. This stop is so arranged that it will allow the spring a to move the plate It on its pivot 11 until the point of the pencil has been properly formed, but no farther, so that when once a proper point has been formed the further grinding away of the point of the pencil will be automatically arrested, as the spring-pressure of the pencil against the wheel B is no longer exerted, and even if the latter continues to be revolved it will no longer act on the pencil, thus avoiding unnecessary grinding away of the point and consequent waste of the pencil, and also preventing the gear in from being thrown out of engagement with the gear H. The spring a is secured at one end to the projection a of the plate h, as seen in Figs. 4 and 5, its opposite end bearing against the projection a of the plate It.

The front end of the plate is held down to the bed-plate h by means of a screw, 20, which passes up through a curved slot, (1, in the plate h, this slot and screw also forming a guide for the plate It, as it is swung on its pivot-screw i. This screw 73 passes through a slot, 0, at one corner of the plate 75, and into one end of this slot projects ahorizontal screw, f, which bears against the screw Land is kept in contact therewith by the action of the spring a, which bears against aprojection, 9,

Fig. l, 011 the plate 70, and thus by means of.

this screw the pivotal point of the plate It can be adjusted laterally to produce a variation in the angle at which the pencil is presented to the grinding-wheel in order to render the point more or less acute, as desired.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is-- 1. In a pencil-sharpener, the combination of a grinding-wheel, a pencil-holder adapted to revolve in hearings in a suitable support, and connected by gears with the grindingwheel or its shaft, and having a lateral movement in a horizontal plane, a spring for moving the holder in one direction, and keeping the point of the pencil in contact with the grinding-wheel with a yielding pressure, and a stop for automatically arresting the lateral movement of the pencil-holder, and preventing the further grinding away of the pencil as soon as a proper point has been formed thereon, substantially as set forth.

2. In a pencil-sharpener, the combination, with the grinding-wheel B, of a rotating tubular pencil-holder, G, mounted in'bearings on a laterally-swinging pivoted support, 70, and provided with a gear or pinion, m, the gears H I, and the spring a, adapted to produce a yielding pressure of the pencil-point against the grinding-wheel,all operating substantially in the manner and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a pencil-sharpener, the combination of the grinding-wheel B, the gear I on the shaft b, the intermediate gear, H, the pencil-holder G, adapted to revolve in bearings, and having at one end a gear, m engaging with the gear H,the carrier-plate 7c, pivoted to a plate,

h, made adjustable upon the standard D, the spring a, spring-arm p, and a stop for arresting the horizontal movement of the plate It and pencil-holder when the point of the pencil has been sufficiently ground off, all operating substantially in the manner and for the purpose described.

4. In a pencil-sharpener, the combination, with the rotating pencil-holder G, provided with a gear, m, and supported in bearings Z Z on the plate 70, of the spring-arm 1), having the bent'end 10, and a shoulder, 12, projecting out in front of the gear m, whereby the pencilholder is kept in place and prevented from moving longitudinally in its bearings, substantially as set forth.

5. In a pencil-sharpener, the combination, with the standard D, of the base-plate h, having an arm, 9, pivoted at f to the standard, and made adjustable thereon by means of the screw 0" and slot q,the carrier-plate k, pivoted to the plate 71, the rotating pencil-holder G, mounted in bearings on the plate It, and the spring a, all operating substantially in the manner and for the purpose described.

6. In a pencilsharpener, the combination, with the base-plate h, of the pencil-holder carrying-plate 70, provided with aslot, e, and pivoted to said plate 7t by means of a screw, i, passing through the said slot, the adjustingscrew f adapted to bear against the screw 6, and the spring a, all operating substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

7. In a pencil-sharpener, the combination of the base-plate 71, having the projection a, spring a, and slot (1, with the carrier-plate k, pivoted to the plate h, and p1 ovid ad with the stops 1) c, and the screw 20, passing through the slot d, all constructed to operate substantially in the manner and for the purpose described.

WVitness my hand this 4th day of March, A. D. 1885.

SHEPHERD S. IVOODCOCK.

In presence of- 1?. E. TnscrrEMAcrrnR, WV. J. CAMBRIDGE. 

